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Find Pennsylvania’s official budget waiver records on the Treasury’s Act 146 Waivers page. It separates agency request letters from later 10-Day Memos: the letter explains the request and its justification, while the memo documents approval after the review period if no committee objections were raised. Read both documents before drawing a conclusion about a specific waiver.
How do I find budget waiver letters in OpenBookPA?
- Open the Pennsylvania Treasury’s Act 146 Waivers page.
- Find the sections labeled Waiver Letters and Waiver 10 Day Memos. Treasury identifies them as the FY 2025–26 waiver requests and corresponding memos.
- Open the letter for the request you are examining, then look for its corresponding memo. Read the two records together.
- Note the agency, fiscal year, appropriation or purpose named, written justification, and what the memo explicitly says. Keep the request and any approval distinct when you describe the record.
The page’s records are not interchangeable with other OpenBookPA datasets, such as the Treasury Checkbook or Contracts e-Library. The Treasury’s OpenBookPA portal provides the broader transparency-resource context.
What is a Pennsylvania Act 146 waiver?
Most General Fund appropriations are made for a single fiscal year, which runs from July 1 through June 30. Treasury says unspent amounts that are not encumbered generally lapse at the end of that year, so they are no longer available to spend. Act 146 of 1980 provides the waiver authority described by Treasury. Under Section 621(m), the Secretary of the Budget may waive provisions on an agency’s written request that justifies an exception as being in the Commonwealth’s best interests.
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The waiver records show stages in this process, not proof that an agency ultimately spent the money. An approval documents authority to retain or use funds under the waiver; evidence of an actual expenditure requires separate records.
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What does the 10-Day Memo mean?
| Record | What it documents | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Waiver letter | The agency’s request and justification, sent by the Budget Secretary to the relevant House and Senate Appropriations Committee chairs for review and comment. | It establishes that a request was presented for review; the letter by itself does not establish approval. |
| 10-Day Memo | A later memorandum Treasury describes as issued ten days after the initial request, approving the waiver if no committee objections have been raised. | Read the memo’s actual wording to confirm the documented approval and its terms. |
The ten-day interval is part of Treasury’s description of the process. For a particular request, rely on the linked letter and memo rather than assuming an outcome from the section heading or a list entry alone.
How to compare two waiver records
There is no standardized substantive ranking of agencies’ rationales established by Treasury’s explanatory page. Compare the evidence recorded in each pair instead:
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- Agency and appropriation: Identify which agency and appropriation the documents name.
- Fiscal year and timing: Note the fiscal year and when the request falls relative to the June 30 lapse date.
- Justification: Use the specific written explanation in the request letter rather than a paraphrase based only on a list entry.
- Approval record: Check whether a matching 10-Day Memo is available and what it explicitly states.
- Question being asked: Distinguish permission to retain or use funds from whether funds were later spent; expenditure evidence must come from separate records.
How many FY 2025–26 waiver records are listed?
In a September 30, 2026 announcement, Pennsylvania Treasury said approximately 100 letters and corresponding memos from FY 2025–26 were available. That is an approximate count reported on that date, not a guaranteed current inventory; consult the live waiver page for the records currently listed. Treasury’s release also quoted Treasurer Stacy Garrity describing public access to funding waivers as part of its transparency work; that statement is context, not evidence of the outcome of any individual request. Earlier fiscal-year records are not confirmed by the cited page description.
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Sources: Pennsylvania Treasury, Act 146 Waivers — OpenBookPA; Pennsylvania Treasury, Treasurer Stacy Garrity Enhances Government Transparency with Public Access to Funding Waivers (September 30, 2026); Pennsylvania Treasury, OpenBookPA.
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